Srinagar: Demanding release of Journalist Asif Sultan immediately pro freedom Kashmiri diaspora leaders on Monday in Birmingham United Kingdom said that ‘European Union and other western countries should raise the human rights violations issue perpetrated in Kashmir.’
The leaders held a presser at Birmingham UK and was addressed by M Ghalib, Fahim Kiani presidents of TEK UK&EU and Altaf Ahmed Bhat president JK Salvation Movement.
“Restrictions, house detention should end and all political prisoners including Syed Ali Shah, Mirwaiz Umer Faroq, Yaseen Malik, Zafar Akbar Bhat and other all APHC leaders and activists should be released,” they said while listing their demands, while urging international community to press India to ban use of pellet guns in Kashmir.
Their demands include dproviding of travel documents to all APHC leaders, stop desecration of religious and holy places of Kashmir, Stop slapping Public Safety Act on political prisoners.
“World should send its teams to Kashnir to asses the ground situation and human rights abuses in Kashmir. And pressure be put on India to stop using pellet guns in Kashmir,” they said.
They said that ‘harassment of journalists should end’ and demanded immediate release journalist Asif Sultan.
Addressing the presser they said that prayers in historical Jamia masjid in Srinagar ‘should not be blocked as has happened for 14 times this year and Internet blockade, 127 times this year, has directly affected the work of the journalists, students, and business community.’
“At leastr 360 Kashmiris including young boys, girls and women were killed by Indian forces during so-called CASO operations, over hundred houses destroyed , hundreds political activists, students and females’ were arrested under black law PSA world community must stop theses violations and atrocities,” they told media persons there.
They also demanded that ‘at least eight woman including two sisters from Islamabad, a 60- year- old Hurriyet woman leader Syeda Asiya Andrabi , Fehmeeda Sofi, Nahida Nasreen and a girl in Kishtwar area should be released without any delay’.
